The A350 is a fantastic aircraft and the deal on the table with Airbus gives us the best possible combination of commercial terms, fuel efficiency, operating cost and customer experience.

The Airbus selection eliminates Boeing’s 777X from consideration, though the airline also stresses that no order was placed and a decision on the program remains pending. As part of the “Project Sunrise” program that aims to link Australia’s east coast with London and New York City nonstop the carrier announced the A530-1000 as its frame of choice. This time around, however, it is Airbus that will deliver an extended range opportunity for the carrier. Featuring redesigned fuel tanks and other minor structural improvements, the 747-400ER saw limited production but helped Qantas “fly the ‘roo” further around the globe. Time will tell, but we suspect that whatever fills the Project Sunrise niche will be an important aircraft for Qantas going forward too.A generation ago Boeing delivered a reconfigured 747 to Qantas helping the carrier to extend its range from Australia and connect to more cities non-stop. Perhaps Qantas, like so many other airlines, simply find the giant A380 too difficult to fill, and are therefore happy to take on a smaller aircraft instead. Or are Airbus going ahead with the rumored A350-2000 to give them more seats? The 777X too lacks capacity, seating around 400 – 420 passengers on the -9X version.Ĭould Qantas be seeking the slated -10X for their new fleet? The extra stretch would allow around 450 passengers, much closer to the capacity of the A380. This is hard for the Airbus to compete with, with only 360 - 370 seats on the A350-1000 in a typical three class layout. The current Qantas A380 has 14 first, 64 business, 35 premium economy and 371 economy seats, for a total of 484 seats. Both the 777X and the A350 are capable of operating these routes, but do they have enough seats? The A380 currently operates routes to Dallas/Fort Worth, London Heathrow (via Singapore), and Los Angeles.

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